C. V. Warner1, G. Havelka1, S. Naffouj1, H. Shah1, S. Thomas1, J. Sugrue1, A. Mellgren1, J. Nordenstam1 1University Of Illinois At Chicago,Chicago, IL, USA
Introduction: Weekly didactic conference is part of general surgery residency training. Previous studies report no correlation between conference attendance and American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE) performance. However, studies have demonstrated a structured reading program in addition to weekly ABSITE-style questions improve ABSITE scores. We piloted the implementation of a daily, electronically administered, ABSITE-style quiz and evaluated resident participation.
Methods: General surgery residents at a single institution were given a survey to determine their study habits. Following this, for one month they received daily emails containing two ABSITE-style questions corresponding to each week’s didactic lecture. The number of quizzes taken and quiz scores were compared to 1) reported methods of studying (comprehensive resource (e.g. textbook/ SCORE) or alternative resource (e.g. review book/question bank) 2) effort in learning (attendance to weekly conference and a bi-weekly ABSITE study session and reported time spent studying) and 3) previous standardized examination performance.
Results: 21 out of 32 (66%) general surgery residents participated in the survey. This included 17 (n=21, 81%) junior (PGY1, 2 and 3) and 4 (n=11, 36%, p=0.02) senior residents. For clinical duties, most residents (n=12, 57%) read when they encountered an unfamiliar case, but few (n=5, 24%) reported a year round reading schedule. Overall, residents read a median of 360 (range 120-600) minutes/month. 71% (n=15) primarily utilized a comprehensive resource, whereas 29% (n=6) used an alternative resource. In preparation for the ABSITE, most residents (53%, n=10) studied at least 8 weeks in advance, but few (n=4, 19%) followed a year round reading schedule. Residents read a median of 60 (range 30-480) minutes/month for the ABSITE. 69% (n=22) of residents partook of the daily quizzes (median 10 quizzes/resident; range 1-27). There was a trend suggesting a comprehensive resource to study for the ABSITE was associated with better quiz scores (p=0.079). Neither attendance to ABSITE study sessions or conferences, nor time spent studying affected quiz performance. There was no significant correlation between previous USMLE STEP 1 and STEP 2 scores. A positive correlation was noted between previous ABSITE scores and daily quiz scores (r=0.342, p=0.212), but this was not significant. Finally, there was a significant, but small, positive correlation between the number of quizzes taken and quiz score performance (r=0.156, p=0.017).
Conclusion: This pilot study suggests most general surgery residents are willing to take a daily e-quiz to enhance learning. The use of a comprehensive study resource seems to improve results on quizzes. A long-term study is necessary to determine whether implementation of daily emailed quizzes will influence ABSITE performance or augment study habits.